Could you end a loved one's life if they asked you to?

[LG]

Picking up from Chefmike's thread on Kevorkian, I got to thinking. Some of my older relatives, witnessing the way others have died have told me "If I ever get like that, help me die." At least one of them has meant it.

It's simple- the right kind of injection or a dose of painkillers could end someone's suffering. But you may believe that euthanasia is murder and suicide is a sin. It's your call.

So, if there was no risk of going to jail, would you be a willing accomplice if they wanted you to? Or would you decline? And why?

I will emphasise- we are assuming there would be a way to do it without going to jail. The question here is about morality and not just the law.

What would you pick?

[Jericho]

Morally, i have no qualms about it being the right thing to do.
Whether i'd have the courage to do it or not, though, is another matter.
Obviously, i'd prefer never to be in a situation where i find out, but, if it came to it, hopefully i would.

[LG]

Morally, i have no qualms about it being the right thing to do.
Whether i'd have the courage to do it or not, though, is another matter.
Obviously, i'd prefer never to be in a situation where i find out, but, if it came to it, hopefully i would.

Cosign

[muhmuh]

Morally, i have no qualms about it being the right thing to do.
Whether i'd have the courage to do it or not, though, is another matter.
Obviously, i'd prefer never to be in a situation where i find out, but, if it came to it, hopefully i would.

+1

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

I've handled DNR/hospice patients before and from experience It's "heartbreaking" for someone to make that call when the one's involved are close knitt relatives..i.e. parents, brother, sister, daughter, son etc.

You are torn wether to keep them (prolong their lives) or end their sufferring. The latter would make more sense but still a hard choice for one to make.

I dont have the heart for it when it involves any of my family members. I hope that time doesnt ever come.

~Kisses.

HTG

[Somedude21]

I would like to say that I know that I could make the choice to end their suffering...but I honestly don't know. I hope that I can make the right choice for them, but I won't know for certain until I'm confronted with that situation.

[chefmike]

Everyone should have a living will, just consider the Terry Schiavo matter if you have any doubts...

[LG]

I've handled DNR/hospice patients before and from experience It's "heartbreaking" for someone to make that call when the one's involved are close knitt relatives..i.e. parents, brother, sister, daughter, son etc.

You are torn wether to keep them (prolong their lives) or end their sufferring. The latter would make more sense but still a hard choice for one to make.

I dont have the heart for it when it involves any of my family members. I hope that time doesnt ever come.

~Kisses.

HTG

I'm with you. But you know what? We'd do it to a dog or a horse. When our dog was dying, we called the vet to come in. She was dead before he came, but if she wasn't, then he would have put her down to end her suffering. And yet when a loved one was dying none of us had the guts to stop the treatment even though it was only perpetuating the suffering. We could've doubled the dose of painkillers and stopped the other medication and it would have been over in days. But we didn't and we watched this wonderful, sweet person become a vegetable and suffer for months. Every time I think about it I feel angry for what we did.

So if we're humane to our pets, why not to the people we love? I don't know.

[Hara_Juku Tgirl]

LOL Thankfully, I have not had that horrible experience LG. I'd say Im lucky to some extent. I know how attached I get with my own pets.

Cant bear the thought of putting a pet down.

~Kisses.

HTG

[Darkwing Duck]

Only under extreme circumstances... Like the army brass getting eaten by a giant bug in Starship Troopers.